Recent research suggests that Internet users spend much of their time doing general-purpose browsing on the Internet searching for websites of interest. Using a search engine provider, a user may be able to use the search engine of the search engine provider to find a website of interest. However, to find a website of interest, the search engine often requires input from the user, usually in the form of a search query. Hence, the ability of a search engine to find a website of interest to the user is limited by the user's ability to enter in a relevant search query. The search query may be too broad, too narrow, or use search terms that are not understood or properly interpreted by the search engine. Moreover, once the search engine has found a website matching the search query, the search engine generally does not continue searching for websites that may be related to the initial search query.
Additionally, research suggests that while a search engine provider is commonly used for directed tasks, like fact-finding and information gathering, it may not be used for general Internet browsing. Moreover, a user may spend as much time browsing as he or she does in either fact-finding or information gathering tasks.
In one regard, the Internet usage of a user may be classified into four general categories: (1) fact-finding, which includes searching for weather information, a phone number, a recipe, definitions, movie times, or other factual information; (2) information gathering, which includes searching for information on various products and services, such as information on a new laptop, product prices, help with a virus, renting a car, or other information gathering activities; (3) browsing, such as visiting various websites of interests, which may be performed as a leisurely activity; and (4) electronic transactions, such as communicating through e-mail, instant messaging, online purchases, or other electronic transactions. Because browsing is often considered distinct from fact-gathering or information gathering, search engine providers and Internet web browsers generally do not provide an incentive to perform fact-gathering or information gathering while browsing.